Ensilage distributor



P 1953 c. SANDS ,652,

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ENSILAGE DISTRIBUTOR Filed March 9, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG 5' OM24 @Q Patented Sept. 15, 1953 ztsazss UNITED STATES? lATENT OFFICE ENSILAGE DISTRIBUTOR Charles. Sands, Kenyon, Minn. Application March 9, 1949, Serial No. 80,420 6 Claims. (01. 302-430.)

This" invention relates to improvements in devices for distributin material from pneumatic elevators, and more specifically is adapted to thedist'ribution of ensilage it is delivered into the silo from the usual ensilage cutter and: ele-- Valliot.

The invention further relatesto manifold improvements over the device disclosed and claimed in my prior United States Patent No. 1,923,460 issued- August 22, 1933, and as therein described the delivery of ens'ilage from the usual cutter and elevator isalways intermittent, due to certain characteristicsof the equipment employed,

but primarily to the fact that thecutter isfed intermittent-1y by the men pitching the material thereinto. The inventionbroadly embodies a hopper-to receive the intermittently flowing material from the elevator and a distribution spout or shoe-for receiving the material from the hopper. Said spout is arranged for upand down swinging movements so that it will be successively' depressed by the intermittent flow of theensilage, and the resulting motion of the spout is made use of to rotate the spout with a step by step motion and sodeliver the material evenly around the interior of the silo. Where such equipment is not used it is necessary that one distribute the material, and ensure the proper filling, and in addition to the fact that this requires added laborthe tramping'of the men upon the ensilage causes the formation of air pockets and the ultimate formation of mold which" is, of course, very undesirable.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide a practical device for this purpose involving numerous improvements and advantages over that disclosed in my prior patent, included among which is a novel shape and ar-= rangement for the distributor spout wherein it is provided with a delivery lip portion designed to evenly spread the ensilage flowing therefrom. The said spout further has as an important featore a cutout or opening formed in one side adjacent tosaid delivery lip portion, which in addition to facilitating the discharge of the material, relieves the spout of the drag of the discharging material to thereby facilitate its said step by step or progressive rotation.

Another object is to provide an improved hopper having a dependingportion arranged to guide and direct the intermittently flowing material into the d'epressible distributor spout in such manner as to obtain the desired leverage thereiipon and ensure the successive depressions of 1 more men work in the silo in order to evenly tion along the line the spout which induce the step by step rotation thereof. Also as shown in my prior patent I hereby make use of: a ratchet tooth ring upon the hopper cooperatin with an actuating pawl or arm moved by the spout, in order to translate the successive desired progressive rotation, but in the present invention I vary the length of the ratchet teeth in such manner asto ensurerotation of the spout even when the discharged material has aminimum effect thereupon.

Still another object of my present invention is to provide various ancillary improvements upon my patented structure, such as to facilitate its operation and make it more practical in use.

These and other more detailed andspecific objects will bedisclosed in the course of the following' specification reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an ensilage distributor according to my present invention and illustrating the same as attached to the delivery end of an ensil'age elevator which enters the silo through its roof; and of which roof only a portion is here shown.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of moved from the elevator.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2. 1

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the delivery spout as moved through the half turn from the previous position.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sec- 6-6 in Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing I have indicated the roof of the conventional silo at A, and shown it as having an opening B to accommodate the downwardly curving end of a gooseneck C which usual pneumatic elevator tube the distributor as rethe roof A and depressions of the latter into the trically in the silo. The present arrangement has an obvious advantage in that the rotatable discharge portion of the distributor, being centered in the silo, will more evenly distribute the material around the interior thereof, all as will be later pointed out.

The distributor device constituting this invention comprises as its main elements a hopper I9 and a depressible distributor spout located therebeneath; The hopper I is of an annular downwardly tapering construction having an open upper end provided with brackets l2 which extend radially inward and are bolted as designated at l3 upon a diametrically enlarged flange |4 formed at the lower end of the gooseneck C. This arrangement centers the hopper II] with respect to the gooseneck and also firmly and non-rotatably anchors it thereon and this mounting constitutes an improvement over my earlier patent in which a corresponding hopper element is shown as supported by a bail upon the elevator spout. Secured around the lower end portion of the hopper H3 is a bearing ring l5 having an outwardly turned narrow flange l6 which is rotatably engaged and embraced by a split swivel ring H, the respective half-sections of which are provided with outwardly turned ears l8 by which they may be bolted together as indicated at IS. The swivel ring I1 is interiorly grooved to engage the flange l6 so that the ring may thus turn freely about the vertical axis of the hopper but will, of course, be retained against upward or downward displacement. At one side and arranged tangentially with respect to the swivel ring I! I provide a depending support 2i] welded or otherwise rigidly aflixed to the ring, and having a hinge 2| secured across its lower edge. Also forming part of the support 29 and depending therefrom below the hinge 2| I provide a stop flange 22 the purpose of which will be shortly made clear.

The distributor spout is elongated and channel-shaped in cross section, having a straight sheet metal bottom portion 23 turned upward at its upper end to form a vertical tang portion 24 for attachment to the aforesaid hinge 2|. The spout also has sides or lateral wall portions 25 turned upwardly from the lateral margins of the bottom portion 23 and so spaced apart that they will clear the lower portion of the hopper Ill at the upper end of the spout as clearly shown. The bottom'portion 23 of the spout throughout the major portion of its length is straight and angled downwardly but at its lower extremity terminates in a horizontally extending and comparatively short discharge lip or portion 23. At this end the spout is open for the delivery of material flowing down the bottom portion 23 thereof, and while one of the aforesaid sides 25 extends down to the extreme edge of the lip portion 26 the opposite side terminates short thereof, as designated at 21, forming a lateral opening 28 at this side adjacent this delivery end of the spout. In practice the opening 28 is formed in what may be termed the trailing side of the distributor spout, with reference to its direction of rotation for a purpose also to be presently pointed out.

At each side of the structure I provide retractile coil springs 29 which at upper ends are attached at 3|) to the bolts |9 joining the ends of the swivel ring sections, and which at lower ends are hooked at 3| in any one of a series of openings 32 formed for this purpose in the upper edges of the spout sides 25. The spring 29 thus normally swings the lower or discharge end of the spout in an upward direction about the axis of the hinge 2| and this motion is limited by the contact of a wear plate 33 secured to the tang portion 24 of the spout against the stop flange 22 depending from the swivel ring. This arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. 4. The effective upward tension of the springs 29 may be adjusted according to the weight and, the rate of flow in the material being'handled by hooking the ends of the springs in any one of the aforesaid apertures 32, as will be clearly understood. In order to limit downward swinging movement of the distributor spout I provide flexible elements in the form of light chains 34 also attached between the swivel ring fastening bolts l9 and the upper edges of the spout sides and these chains normally, of course, will hang slack as seen in Figs. 1 and 5.

Secured to the hopper I0 above the level of the swivel ring I! is a ratchet ring 35 the peripheral edge of which is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth, as designated generally at 36 in Fig. 3. For cooperation with these ratchet teeth I then provide a self-spring actuating pawl or arm 31 one end of which is fastened at 38 to the upper extremity of a bracket arm 39 secured to the rear or upward end of the distributor spout and extending upwardly therefrom. The actuating arm 31 is made of spring wire and adjacent its fastening 38 i formed into a tensioning coil 49 from which the free end of the wire extends alongside the hopper I0 and is bent downwardly and back upon itself as shown at 4| to engage the ratchet teeth 36. The coil 40 so tensions the arm that its end 4| will bear inwardly toward and remain in engagement with the ratchet teeth as will be readily understood.- Retrogressive movement of the spout is prevented by a pair of upwardly extended detent springs 42 which are secured as designated at 43 to the support 20 forming part of the swivel ring l1, and which are adapted to yieldably engage the ratchet teeth 36.

In operation the ensilage flowing intermittently from the gooseneck C will fall from the hopper upon the upper end of the distributor spout bottom 23 and the successive impacts of the material will depress the distributor spout, imparting an intermittent up and down swinging motion to the distributor spout, the frequency and the amplitude of which will vary accordin to the weight of the material and the intervals Such up.

between successive discharges thereof. and down swinging movements of the distributor spout swings the upper end of a bracket arm 39 in a vertical plane and this motion is translated to a reciprocating motion of the actuating arm 3'! causing it to engage successive ratchet teeth 36 and progressivel rotate the spout structure about the axis of the hopper. This step by step rotation of the distributor spout will cause the material flowing oil its delivery lip portion 26 to be spread evenly around the interior of the silo thus achieving the desired result of distributing the ensilage without the assistance of men working in silo. As indicated by the direction arrow in-Fig. 3 the progressive rotation of the distributor spout H is counterclockwise, as viewed from the top, and the opening 28 in the spout side is so locate as to relieve the spout of most, if not all, of the drag which might otherwise be caused by the material engaging the trailing side of the rotary structure. In addition, the opening 28 ensures a radialdirection fitfid 6f throwing it entirely out to the inner side wail of the siio. This up DOftiOll 23 also causes the Hiiti 'idl todepress the spout to better effectas will be understood.

The upward extension or the bracket arm 39 which supportsthe: actuating arm 31 well above the hinge 2| in efiect magnifies the motion imparted to the ratchet mechanism by thesuccessive depressions oi he di tributor pout m such manner as to insure a continuous step by step mot-ion even when the intermittent irregula'r'ity in the delivery rate of the material is very slight. Inasmuch as the material issuing from the gooseneck C will have a' te"ndency to be thrown againstthe side of the hopper HF; to; the outside ofthe curvedpath of the material, there will necessarily be some difierenc'e in the point at which the material flowing from the hopper will engage the spout bottom 23, as measured from the hinge 2i. This will obviously vary the leverage exerted by the material upon the distributor spout in difierent quadrants of 1 travel, and in order to largely compensate for this and prevent the material at certain times from falling too far down the spout from the hinge I provide the bottom of the hopper ID with a narrow and arcuate depending deflector shield or lip 44. This shield 44 depends from the side of the hopper against which the material will be thrown by the curve of the gooseneck C and in one position of the distributor spout H the shield extends almost down into the spout bottom 23 as shown in Fig. 1. This is the position, or the point during its travel, at which the spout l I will be engaged by the falling material closest to the hinge 2| and is the time at which the material will exert the minimum leverage or depressive force upon the spout. Since it is during this portion of the travel of the spout II that it will have a minimum up and down motion I provide the ratchet ring 3| wlth a series of short teeth it which will be engaged by the actuating arm 31 so that the comparatively minor reciprocation of the actuating arm will nevertheless engage these shorter teeth and ensure the continued rotation of the spout. On

the other hand (as shown in Fig. 6) as the spout moves around a half-turn the material will be delivered off the shield 44 at a point spaced further from the hinge 2| with the result that the spout will have up and down motions of greater amplitude. At this time however, the actuating arm 31 will operate upon a series of ratchet teeth 36* which are much longer so that; the aggregate rate of travel of the spout will be substantially the same throughout each revolution. The shield 44 now presents the material from striking too far down the spout and reduces the amplitude of the up and down motions of the spout so that a more even distribution of the material around the full circle results.

The use of two detent springs 42 ensures that one will always engage a ratchet tooth and compensates for the differences in length of the teeth.

The raw edges of the spout H are stiffened and braced by an L-shaped brace bar 45 secured to the underside of the end and side as clearly shown.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, pro- 6 v-ided' such modifications some within the spirit Having now 83nd scope of the appended claims, therefore rully illustrated and described my" iii verition, what I claim to be new" and desire to Protect by Letters Patent is:

1 For an ensila'g'e distributcrhaving' a hopper, a distributor spout beneath the hopper, a swivel improvement which comprises an arm extendin sponsive" to said successive depressions in the spout, and a pair of (latent springs carried the swivel ring and engaging the ratchet rin to hold the spout against retrogress'ivemetres ments.

2. For use with a pneumatic material elevator and a distributing device including a hopper, a distributor spout supported on the hopper for both rotary and up and down swinging movements with respect thereto, and means operative by successive up and down movements of the spout by material intermittently falling from the hopper to progressively rotate the spout, the improvement which comprises a deflector shield depending from the lower end of the hopper to cause the material to impinge the spout at a point spaced from its support on the hopper.

3. For a material distributing device of the character described and including a hopper, a depressible distributor spout hinged to the hopper and supported therebeneath, a swivel member mounting the spout on the hopper for rotation to engage the falling material and deflect the same to thereby regulate the point at which the material will strike the spout with reference to the hinge thereof.

4. For a material distributing device including a hopper, a depressible distributor spout below the hopper, a swivel member mounting the spout on the hopper for rotation about the hopper in a. generally horizontal plane, a hinge connecting the spout to one side of said swivel member whereby the spout will be successively depressed by material falling intermittently from the hopper, a ratchet ring secured to the hopper and having ratchet teeth about its periphery, a pawl remainder of the ring and so arranged with reference to said deflector lip that the shorter teeth will be engaged by the pawl when the material falls nearest the hinge of the spout and the longer teeth will be engaged by the pawl as the spout swings about and the material deflected off the lip strikes the spout further from its hinge.

5. For device of the character described for distributing material and including a hopper. a

aesaesa distributor spout located beneath the hopper, a swivel ring rotatably mounting the spout on the hopper, hinge means connecting the spout to the swivel ring whereby said spout will be successively depressed by material falling intermittently from the hopper, means operative by such depressions of the spout to rotate it below the hopper, and spring means arranged to normally swing the spout upwardly, the improvement which comprises a stop member on the ring, and a wear plate on the spout operative to contactsaid stop member and limit upward movement of the spout under influence of said spring means.

6. For a distributing device of the character described including a hopper, adistributor spout located beneath the hopper, a swivel ring rotatably mounting the spout to the hopper, hinge means connecting the spout to the swivel ring whereby said spout will be successively depressed by material falling intermittently from the hopswivel per, spring means arranged to normally swing the spout upwardly, and means operative by successive depressions of the spout to rotate it below the hopper, the improvement which comprises a stop member secured to and depending from the swivel ring adjacentsaid hinge means and the spout having a portion for engaging said stop member to limit upward movement of the spout under influence of the spring.

CHARLES SANDS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 963,583 Kennel July 5, 1910' 1,786,677 Sievert Dec. 30, 1930 1,839,749 Ewing June 5, 1932 1,923,460 Sands Aug. 22, 1933 2,4495% Daddario Sept. 21, 1948 2,557,977 Knoff June 26, 1951 

